BERIGAN

I thought Guillen was a breath of fresh air...at first....his latest B.S. Sensitive issue: Testy Guillen wants English training By Enrique Rojas ESPNdeportes.com CHICAGO -- Ozzie Guillen doesn't know what a sensitivity course is about, and he doubts he'll ever attend one, even though commissioner Bud Selig ordered the Chicago White Sox manager to attend sensitivity training and fined him an undisclosed amount of money as punishment for his derogatory remarks to journalist Jay Mariotti. "I don't think I'll be going, I don't think that'll happen," Guillen told ESPNdeportes.com in an interview at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday. The interview was conducted in Spanish. "I think the commissioner ordered that in order to calm things down, but, obviously, to attend one of those, I'll have to take English lessons first," he added. Guillen called Mariotti an offensive word, often used to refer to people's sexual preference. Mariotti is a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and appears on ESPN's "Around The Horn." "I'll do what I have to do, at least when I have time, but I don't think I'll take those sensitivity lessons," Guillen said. "I want to make it clear that I left school a long time ago and that I learned English in the streets. I have three boys at school and I am too old to return to a classroom," he said. When asked about his comments after the game, Guillen responded with a lengthy diatribe in which he said he first needs to take English classes "to understand what they're talking about" and threatened to "start being nasty with the media" if they continued to ask questions about that. "It's a really uncomfortable situation for me," Guillen said. "I don't need this job. It's hard everyday. ... If someone tries to play games, I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong guy." Guillen got up and walked out of the interview room. A few minutes later, he said through a team spokesman he will undergo the training. The White Sox, who were a half-game behind Detroit in the AL Central, won the opener of a three-game series against the Houston Astros, 7-4 on Friday. They defeated the Astros last October to win the World Series for the first time since 1917. While White Sox players practiced peacefully, Guillen answered dozens of questions from journalists. Could it be that Guillen is always caught up in some kind of conflict as a tactic to take pressure off his players? "I don't think that way, but it has turned out pretty good. In a way, things have turned out like that," Guillen said. "I've obviously been in Chicago longer than these guys. I've been in this organization and in this city for 17 years and I know better than them how things are handled around here," he added. "I'd rather they talked about me and not about one of them." http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2498795

TV Producer Aaron Spelling Dies at 83 By BOB THOMAS Associated Press Writer LOS ANGELES — Aaron Spelling, a onetime movie bit player who created a massive number of hit series, from the vintage "Charlie's Angels" and "Dynasty" to "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place," died Friday, his publicist said. He was 83. Spelling died at his mansion in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke on June 18, according to publicist Kevin Sasaki. Aaron Spelling poses for a photo in his Los Angeles office in this November 1993 file photo. Spelling, a onetime movie bit player who turned to television production to create a massive number of hit series from the vintage 'Charlie's Angels,' 'Dynasty,' 'Love Boat' and 'Fantasy Island' to 'Beverly Hills 90210' and 'Melrose Place,' died Friday, his publicist said. He was 83. Spelling died at his home in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke on June 18, according to publicist Kevin Sasaki. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith, FILE) Spelling's other hit series included "Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," "Burke's Law," "The Mod Squad," "Starsky and Hutch," "T.J. Hooker," "Matt Houston," "Hart to Hart" and "Hotel." He kept his hand in 21st-century TV with series including "7th Heaven" and "Summerland." He also produced more than 140 television movies. Among the most notable: "Death Sentence" (1974), Nick Nolte's first starring role; "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" (1976), John Travolta's first dramatic role; and "The Best Little Girl in the World" (1981), which starred Jennifer Jason Leigh. During the 1970s and 1980s, Spelling provided series and movies exclusively for ABC and is credited for the network's rise to major status. Jokesters referred to it as "The Aaron Broadcasting Company." "Aaron's contributions in television are unequaled. To me, he was a dear friend and a truly genuine human being," Jaclyn Smith, the only original "Charlie's Angels" actress who stayed with the show for its entire run, said in a statement Friday. Success was not without its thorns. TV critics denounced Spelling for fostering fluff and nighttime soap operas. He called his shows "mind candy"; critics referred to them as "mindless candy." "Charlie's Angels" ushered in a genre known as "jiggle TV" for its gratuitous focus on the female form. "The knocks by the critics bother you," he admitted in a 1986 interview with The Associated Press. "But you have a choice of proving yourself to 300 critics or 30 million fans. You have to make a choice. I think you're also categorized by the critics. If you do something good they almost don't want to like it." He liked to cite some of his more creditable achievements, like "Family" (1976-80), a drama about a middle-class family, and "The Best Little Girl in the World." Among his prestige films for TV: "Day One" (1989), about the making of the atomic bomb; "And the Band Played On" (1992), based on Randy Shilts' book about the AIDS crisis. Spelling had arrived in Hollywood virtually penniless in the early 1950s. By the 1980s, Forbes magazine estimated his wealth at $300 million. He enjoyed his status, working in a Hollywood office larger than those of golden-era moguls ("I'm slightly claustrophpobic," he explained.) He gifted his second wife, Candy, with a 40-carat diamond ring. The Spellings' most publicized extravagance was their 56,500-square-foot French chateau in Holmby Hills. The couple bought the former Bing Crosby estate for $10 million. It was leveled to the ground, along with two other houses. Construction cost was estimated at $12 million. The two-story house reached a height of 51 feet. Among the features: a one-lane bowling alley, pool, tennis court, gym, screening room. Built on rollers, it easily survived the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The mansion dwarfed nearby estates, and the neighbors were furious. One woman won an injunction during construction, calling the place "Look-at-me-I'm-rich architecture." Born on April 22, 1923, Spelling grew up in a small frame house on Browder Street in Dallas "on the wrong side of the tracks," he wrote in his 1996 autobiography. He was the fourth son of immigrant Jews, his father from Poland, mother from Russia. The father's name, Spurling, was simplified to Spelling by an Ellis Island official. "I grew up thinking 'Jew boy' was one word," the producer wrote in his memoir, "Aaron Spelling: A Prime-Time Life." He was considered strange by his Dallas schoolmates because his parents spoke Yiddish. He was subjected to anti-Semitic taunts and beatings on his way home from school. At 8, the boy suffered what he termed a nervous breakdown, and he spent a year in bed. He later considered that period the birth of his creative urge. He fell in love with great storytellers, especially O. Henry. Of his early TV series he said, "They are all O. Henry short stories." "I still have nightmares about being in a $6,000 house in Dallas, Texas," he remarked in a 1996 AP interview. "Wall-to-wall people, one bathroom. I was the one to go to the local bakery a block away on Saturday to get the day-old stuff." Spelling enlisted in the Army Air Corps after graduating from high school in 1942. After combat and organizing entertainment in Europe during the war, Spelling returned to Texas and enrolled at Southern Methodist University, where he wrote and directed plays. He continued working in local theatrics after graduating. Finding no work in New York, Spelling moved to Los Angeles, where he staged plays and acted in more than 40 TV shows and 12 movies. His skinny frame suited him for the role of a ragged beggar in the MGM musical "Kismet." He worked for three weeks, repeating his one line: "Alms for the love of Allah." The "Kismet" experience resulted in two decisions: he abandoned acting for the typewriter; he married a young actress he had been courting, Carolyn Jones. She became well-known, especially as Morticia in "The Addams Family" series. They divorced after 13 years, and she died of cancer in 1983. Spelling's friendship with such actor-producers as Dick Powell, Jack Webb and Alan Ladd led to his rapid rise as a prolific writer and later producer of TV series. In 1960, Powell, head of Four Star Productions, hired him to produce shows for Powell himself, his wife June Allyson and Lloyd Bridges. "Burke's Law," with Gene Barry as a millionaire detective, became the first hit series Spelling created. After Powell's death, Spelling teamed with Danny Thomas in a production company, scoring a huge success with "The Mod Squad," about a trio of youthful undercover cops. In 1969, Spelling began an exclusive contract with ABC, helping the network to rise from a low third place to the top of the network ratings. Former ABC programming chief Leonard Goldberg joined him as partner in 1972. After ABC canceled "Dynasty" in 1989 and his contract with the network had ended, Spelling found himself without a show on the air for the first time since 1960. "I was so depressed, I would have quit, but I like TV too much," Spelling wrote in his memoir. Besides, his company had started issuing stock in 1986, and he had an obligation to his investors. After a year's respite, he returned with "Beverly Hills 90210," which helped launch the fledgling Fox Network into the bigtime. "Melrose Place" gave Fox another hit. Throughout his career, Spelling maintained the same image: the skinny frame, slightly hawkish face. He usually posed with a pipe in his mouth, a custom he adopted early after seeing stars with pipes in fan magazine photos. Spelling and his second wife, Candy, had two children, Tori (for Victoria), who became a star on the two Fox serials ("Now I'm known as Tori Spelling's father," he said in mock lament), and Randy, who appeared in the short-lived "Malibu Shores." Spelling set a record of producing more than 3,000 TV episodes. Besides the TV movies, he produced 10 theatrical films including "California Split," "Mr. Mom." "'night, Mother," "Loose Cannons" and "Soapdish." Memorial services were pending. http://www.accessatlanta.com/entertainment...lling_Obit.html

On Tape: Rep Won't Let Customer Quit AOL POSTED: 4:11 pm EDT June 21, 2006 UPDATED: 5:53 pm EDT June 21, 2006 Email This Story | Print This Story -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Watch Video: AOL Rep Won't Let Man Cancel Account | Slideshow: Blow-By-Blow Slideshow E-mail: Send Video To A Friend -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An incredible video from CNBC shows an AOL customer trying to cancel his account, but a phone rep won't let him do it. What customer Vincent Ferrari got when he tried to cancel his account was a lot of frustration. It took him 15 minutes waiting on the phone just to reach a real, live person. And, what happened next was recorded by Ferrari on audio and lasted about four minutes: CLOCK READOUT - 00:00 AOL REPRESENTATIVE: Hi this is John at AOL... how may I help you today? VINCENT FERRARI: I wanted to cancel my account. AOL: Sorry to hear that. Let's pull your account up here real quick. Can I have your name please? VINCENT: Vincent Ferrari. CLOCK READOUT - 00:30 AOL: You've had this account for a long time. VINCENT: Yup. AOL: Use this quite a bit. What was the cause of wanting to turn this off today? VINCENT: I just don't use it anymore. AOL: Do you have a high speed connection, like the DSL or cable? VINCENT: Yup. AOL: How long have you had that... VINCENT: Years... AOL: ...the high speed? VINCENT: ...years. AOL: Well, actually I'm showing a lot of usage on this account. VINCENT: Yeah, a long time, a long time ago, not recently... CLOCK READOUT - 01:47 AOL: Okay, I mean is there a problem with the software itself? VINCENT: No. I just don't use it, I don't need it, I don't want it. I just don't need it anymore. AOL: Okay. So when you use this... I mean, use the computer, I'm saying, is that for business or for... for school? VINCENT: Dude, what difference does it make. I don't want the AOL account anymore. Can we please cancel it? CLOCK READOUT - 02:21 AOL: Last year was 545, last month was 545 hours of usage... VINCENT: I don't know how to make this any clearer, so I'm just gonna say it one last time. Cancel the account. AOL: Well explain to me what's, why... VINCENT: I'm not explaining anything to you. Cancel the account. AOL: Well, what's the matter man? We're just, I'm just trying to help here. VINCENT: You're not helping me. You're helping me... AOL: I am trying to help. VINCENT: Helping... listen, I called to cancel the account. Helping me would be canceling the account. Please help me and cancel the account. AOL: No, it wouldn't actually... VINCENT: Cancel my account... AOL: Turning off your account... VINCENT: ...cancel the account... AOL: ...would be the worst thing that... VINCENT: ...cancel the account. CLOCK READOUT - 03:02 AOL: Okay, cause I'm just trying to figure out... VINCENT: Cancel the account. I don't know how to make this any clearer for you. Cancel the account. When I say cancel the account, I don't mean help me figure out how to keep it, I mean cancel the account. AOL: Well, I'm sorry, I don't know what anybody's done to you Vincent because all I'm... VINCENT: Will you please cancel the account. CLOCK READOUT - 03:32 AOL: Alright, some day when you calmed down you're gonna realize that all I was trying to do was help you... and it was actually in your best interest to listen to me. VINCENT: Wonderful, Okay. CLOCK READOUT - 03:39 "I've never ever experienced anything like that," Ferrari told CNBC. He recounts how the AOL representative - as a last resort even asked if his dad was home. "I think I could've put up with everything, but at the point when he asked to speak to my father, I came very close to losing it at that point," said the 30-year-old Ferrari. Ferrari then posted the call online, and the response was tremendous. AOL sent him an apology and said the customer service rep was no longer with the company. http://www.nbc10.com/news/9406462/detail.html

I thought from reading the post above, it was the sax player who stole the silverware.

Between his ranting at a young pitcher for not hitting a batter(Randy Johnson gets suspended for barely hitting a player, Guillen as far as I know didn't get a fine or suspended)and his really stupid mouth, I hope he will soon be out of his job in Chicago. Won't happen this year, but if they have a slow start next year.... White Sox's Guillen uses homosexual slur Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen recently used a homosexual slur to describe a Chicago Sun-Times columnist. The newspaper published a column Wednesday, and it ripped the outspoken skipper for his angry outburst directed at Jay Mariotti, who was covering Game 6 of the NBA Finals and obviously was not around to hear the comments prior to the White Sox's blowout victory over the Cardinals on Tuesday night. "What a piece of (expletive) he is, (expletive) fag,'' Guillen said. Guillen was given a chance to explain himself after the game. "I don't have anything against those people. In my country, you call someone something like that and it is not the same as it is in this country,'' he said. According to the Sun-Times Guillen explained that in his native Venezuela, the word in question is not used to describe a person's sexuality, rather his courage. Guillen apparently said Mariotti "is not man enough to meet me and (talk about things before writing.)" As you might expect, the White Sox were quick to apologize for the remark, which the defensive Guillen used in response to a Mariotti column about how the club dealt with rookie pitcher Sean Tracey after he recently refused to throw at the Rangers' Hank Blalock. The White Sox claim — again according to the Sun-Times — they are "working with" Guillen on how he speaks publicly. But it seems clear that Guillen has a developing penchant for talking inappropriately. The Sun-Times points out that Guillen ripped into a Venezuelan reporter earlier this year for claiming that White Sox's pitcher Freddy Garcia had failed a marijuana test during the World Baseball Classic. "It's a good thing that happened to Freddy and not to Ozzie Guillen because that man's going to be in big trouble,'' Guillen reportedly said. ''I will fly to Venezuela and kick his (backside) ... In Venezuela, we don't care. We take care of (stuff) by hitting people." In New York last season, Guillen referred to someone as a homosexual and a child molester. http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5716942

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle....C1-ArticlePage2

Oh, it also looks like that the NL is really the AAA, and the junior circuit is the major Leagues.

Dan, they started cutting back on their braves games last year. If I remember correctly, they didn't start broadcasting games on TV regularly last year til June, and fans were really pissed. They really wanted to push censored, commerical filled re-runs of Sex and the City instead. I guess they just don't want to be thought of as a sports channel anymore. The remaining games were on Turner South, where at least folks here could hear Chip and Skip, Pete and Don Sutton, but no more....found this on the web. Atlanta Braves' fans may have noticed that the TV crew they have long been comfortable with is missing about half the time. When Fox Cable Networks recently bought Turner South which will televise 58 Braves' games this year they decided to go with their broadcasting crew of Bob Rathburn and Jeff Torborg instead of veterans Skip and Chip Carey, Joe Simpson, Don Sutton and Pete Van Wieren. Carey and company will still do all the radio work and the 70 games televised by TBS but were passed over in favor of Rathburn and Torborg for all Fox games. With Fox Sports South showing 25 games per season and the addition of the Turner South games, that means the Carey group that have been together in one way or another for nearly 30 years will now be on TV in less than half of the Braves' games. Ad to that , the Radio games used to be on 50,000 Watt WSB are on weak little WGST and 96 Rock(Meaning they piss off folks listening all over the south on AM and rock fans on FM) In a few years, folks are going to scratch their heads wondering why there don't seem to be nearly as many braves fans all over the country as there once was. (By the by, I am not a bandwagon Braves fan, I started rooting for them in 1984 along with the Cubs once I got cable)

Well, Dan...what say you now?????? I shoulda bet you your bank account Vs. mine. I'd be rich!(well, a little richer ) The Braves are by far the worst team in baseball right now. We are basically tied for last, and the Marlins are playing great ball right now, so we will be deep in last place before the end of the week. Many a fan on the local Blogs think Bobby Cox has just plain lost it, and I am starting to agree. He kept running a "closer" out there with an E.R.A., oh I don't know....35 times higher than your closer's!!!! Cox said he was going to start Wilson Betamit 4-5 times a week, after going 3 for 4 on the 10th( And since he was about the hottest hitter on the team)then used him as a pinch hitter only in 4 of the next 5 games! He keeps platooning when it isn't working at all. Adam LaRoche is 3rd on the team in RBI's even though he doesn't face lefties. So, he sits on the bench and Brian Jordan plays, who is hitting .214, and has 1 RBI in his last 10 games! And keeps playing! Brian McCann is hitting .352, but is sitting on the bench against righties, so 39 Year old Todd Pratt (and his .156 BA) can play!!!! Makes sense, don't it? Jeff Francoeur is hitting .243, and has played every game this year. When a reporter asked Cox if he maybe needed a day off, Cox said, Nah, he would be shocked if Francoueur came in and wasn't full of energy! Gee Bobby, don't ya think one day off might help him mentally? Cox has pitched 39 year old John Smoltz on 3 days rest twice this year. I am sure his elbow that he has had 4 surgeries on needs that kind of wear and tear. Marcus Giles Is NOT a leadoff hitter, and his .241 BA proves it. But does Bobby try anyone else at leadoff? Of course not, he just keeps beating that dead horse, and hoping it will magically get up. Ryan Langerhans is a truly gifted left fielder, but he can't hit. But that doesn't mean he will get benched, and Matt Diaz will get a chance to sink or swim, Platoons have worked in the past. He has gone from being a great manager to an idiot in less than a year.(Or did starting former reliever Lance Cormier with a 6.10 ERA against the Red Sox seem like genius?) Oh, and John Schuerholz has not made a single move! No trades, no releases, nothing! I know the team is for sale, but you could try to trade Giles for some relief pitching. Chipper Jones restructured his contract to free up some money for relievers during the off-season, nothing happened. It was just assumed that the Braves would then trade for one during the season....nope. Time-Warner just got to pocket the money before selling the team, the joke's on you Chipper. I have said the Braves needed to have a .500 season for a few years now. Fans needed to be reminded that a team can't always win the division, and the owners, and management needed to be reminded that it was more important to get deep into the playoffs than to just win the division. Well, when less than 10,000 show up to the games for the rest of the season, perhaps the message will finally get thru to them. Just sad to see the team go so bad so fast, and Cox and Schuerholz not even reacting. Poor John Smoltz, he will pitch his heart out today, only to lose 2-0. He won't get to 200 wins, and a HOF caliber pitcher won't get enough votes for the HOF. Maybe the Tigers will trade for him....

Dan, I am sure you are not exactly happy with the recent play of the Red Sox, but trust me, your teams problems are a molehill compared to mountain that is the braves issues. Your team WILL get well against us. And the Braves may very well finish in last place this year. from the AJC blog (Dave O'Brien) a few days ago before being swept by the Marlins.... The Braves are 3-11 with a 6.29 ERA since May 29, and have a league-worst 2-9 record in June. They’ve scored four runs or fewer in 10 of their past 14 games, and allowed seven runs or more in half of those 14 games, including games with 12, 13 and yesterday’s season-high 14 runs allowed. *The Nationals are 9-4 with a 3.69 ERA since May 29, the Marlins are 8-4 with a 3.17 ERA since May 29. *The Mets? They’re 8-3 with a 2.86 ERA in their past 11 games and 5-0 with a 2.80 ERA and .325 team batting average and 46 runs in their past five games, all on the road. *The Braves have allowed 20 home runs in June; no other NL team has allowed more than 17. *The formerly pitching-rich Braves have fallen to 15th in the NL with a 4.78 ERA, and have only 389 strikeouts with 214 walks. *The starters are 10th with a 4.61 ERA and have the second-fewest wins (17) while being tied for the most losses (27) in the NL. *The bullpen is officially horrendous, with a league-high 12 blown saves (in 27 chances) ande 5.12 ERA that ranks 15th in the NL. They have the third-fewest strikeouts (128) and are tied for the second-most walks (99). *The bullpen has allowed .366 opponents’ on-base percentage that’s 13 points higher than any other NL bullpen. *Braves second basemen have the NL’s worst batting average (.237) and second-worst OBP (.326). *Braves first basemen have the NL’s worst batting average (.243) and rank 11th in RBIs (36). *Braves outfielders rank 15th in the NL in on-base percentage (.313), ahead of only the rookie-littered Marlins (.309). *Braves hitters have more strikeouts (485) than every NL team except Milwaukee (486) and Florida (495), while they’re tied for 10th with 208 walks. *Four Braves have at least 50 strikeouts, and leadoff man Marcus Giles has 46 K with a .235 average and .328 OBP. *Ryan Langerhans has hit .212 with two homers, six RBIs, 32 K and a .311 OBP in 107 at-bats in his past 37 games. *Giles has hit .224 with a .313 OBP in his past 22 games, and .115 (3-for-26) with one run and one RBI in his past six games. *Chris Reitsma has a majors-worst 9.11 ERA, an NL-worst .364 opponents’ average, and an NL-worst .411 opponents’ average with runners on base. He’s allowed 18.2 baserunners per nine innings pitched; no other qualifying NL reliever has allowed as many as 16 per nine innings pitched. *San Francisco’s Tim Worrell (8) is the only NL reliever who has allowed more homers than Reitsma and Oscar Villarreal, who’ve allowed seven apiece. *Villarreal has an 8.79 ERA and .350 opponents’ average in his past 11 appearances. *Macay McBride has allowed two runs, three hits and six walks with one strikeout in three innings in his past three games. *Reitsma has allowed 12 hits and 11 runs in 2-2/3 innings (37.13 ERA) in his past three games, has a 15.43 ERA and .440 opponents’ average in his past 11 appearances, and a 7.91 ERA and .359 opponents’ average in 50 appearances since Aug. 7. *Among qualifying starters, Jorge Sosa has a league-worst .380 average allowed with runners in scorig position, and John Thomson has the fifth-worst overall opponents’ BA (.300). *Reitsma is the only NL pitcher with a higher opponents’ average with men on base than Sosa (.402). *The Cubs’ Greg Maddux (82.4) is the only NL pitcher with fewer pitches per start than Thomson (85.2). .

My 1969 Impala Convertible. I know I have mentioned it before on this board. My Grandmother did most of the body damage. If it hadn't been a convertible, my Dad no doubt would have junked it. But, it ran great and I wanted it when I was old enough to drive. The very first time I drove it without a family member, I went to pick up my friend Brad(Had lots of problems behind the wheel when Brad was along) We went out cruising for girls, and cars to race(this was the early 80's, almost everything was slower than my 350 Chevy back then) No luck with the ladies, but an older fellow in a Fairmont station wagon tried to race me away from a light. He didn't do very well, beat him by several car-lengths. It was getting dark, so I was going to drop Brad back home, and I almost missed the turnoff for his street, and make a sharp turn in to the street on the left side of the road....the guy in the Fairmont slams on his the brakes from the lane to my right, tires smoking, and is on my tail! YIKES!!! He must have had a bad day at the office. As your typical 16 year olds, Brad and I get scared shitless(Bet he has a gun!) and I tear thru the burbs at a high rate of speed. At one point, the old car bottoms out, no doubt leaving a trail of sparks from the rear end scraping the asphalt. Shit, the guy is still fairly close behind! Next thing I know, I have just blown past a stop sign and crossed a busy intersection in U-City (St. Louis) at around 60 MPH! Quadruple Yikes! I was shaking like a junkie needing a fix after realizing what I had done... some Angels must have been working overtime to keep us alive. The guy behind me must have thought I was nuttier than he was, didn't see him after me anymore...but every set of headlights behind me on the long drive home had me convinced he was still after me. It taught me a valuable lesson. I bet I didn't race anyone away from a light for a full week! Oh, drove the car for about another 10 years, and sold it to someone who could fix it up. Could not kill that car.

$8 for for top secret? Naked gun movies for $24???? Highway robbery! Top Secret Naked Gun collection Plus free shipping. Now, if they will just release the old Police Squads on DVD!

If I had his career ahead of me, I wouldn't tempt fate and ride a bike....Hope he can recover enough to play again!!! Big Ben in serious condition after motorcycle accidentESPN.com news services PITTSBURGH -- Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was badly hurt in a motorcycle crash Monday and undergoing surgery. The extent of his injuries was not known. Roethlisberger Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition, said Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital. "He was talking to me before he left for the operating room," Jones said before the operation. "He's coherent. He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable." The 24-year-old Roethlisberger likes to ride without a helmet, a habit that once prompted coach Bill Cowher to lecture him on the dangers. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Roethlisberger wasn't wearing a helmet. The Associated Press reported it wasn't clear whether he was wearing a helmet or not. The crash happened at an intersection at the edge of downtown at about 11:30 a.m. A pool of blood was still visible there by early afternoon. Police spokesman Lt. Kevin Kraus said police and homicide units were investigating the crash, something standard when there is an accident with critical injuries. Kraus would give no details on the extent of Roethlisberger's injuries or if anyone else was injured. The accident occurred on Second Avenue near the intersection of 10th Street in Pittsburgh, around 11:30 a.m. The route is one often taken in traveling to the Steelers' facility in the Southside section of the city. Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch was at the emergency room. He had no comment. A silver Chrysler New Yorker with damage to the front passenger fender was removed and Roethlisberger's bike was loaded onto a flatbed truck. Police were detouring traffic around the crash scene as onlookers and media gathered. One of his agents, Ryan Tollner, is in route to Pittsburgh for what was supposed to be a pre-planned trip and will arrive later Monday. In only his second year in the NFL, Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship. He was 23 when he did it last February. Roethlisberger has said in the past that he prefers not to wear a helmet. He has pointed out Pennsylvania's 35-year-old state law requiring helmets to be worn was amended to make helmets optional. In May 2005, Cowher warned him about safe riding after Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was injured in a motorcycle accident. Winslow tore knee ligaments and was lost for the season. "He talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful," Roethlisberger said at the time. "I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe." Roethlisberger continued to ride after Winslow's accident and that angered Terry Bradshaw, who quarterbacked the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories during the 1970s. Visiting the Steelers' training camp last summer, Bradshaw remarked: "Ride it when you retire." http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2480830

http://www.eweek.com/slideshow/0,1206,pg=0...a=180353,00.asp Oh, and doesn't Nicholas Negroponte look a fair bit like Peter Jennings???

Duke Lacrosse Controversy Home / Local & State / Crime & Safety / Duke Lacrosse Controversy Published: Jun 08, 2006 12:10 PM By Joseph Neff, Staff Writer The second dancer in the Duke lacrosse case told police early on that allegations of rape were a "crock" and that she was with the accuser the entire evening except for a period of less than five minutes. The second dancer, Kim Roberts, made that statement when she was first contacted by Durham police one week after the party where the first escort service dancer said she was gang raped by three men. Roberts' statements and notes of the detectives in the case were made public today in a court filing by lawyers for one of the defendants, Reade Seligmann, 20, of Essex Falls, N.J. Seligmann's lawyers said police omitted important facts contradicting the accuser's story when they obtained an order to photograph and take DNA samples from the players, including Roberts' statements to police. Investigator Benjamin Himan first contacted Roberts on March 20, one week after the lacrosse party that ended in the early hours of March 14. "She heard that (the accuser) was sexually assaulted, which she stated is a 'crock' and she stated that she was with her the whole time until she left," according to Himan's notes. "The only time she was alone was when she would not leave and that time period was less than five minutes." Seligmann's lawyers said there were major discrepancies in the reports of the doctors and nurses who examined the accuser at Duke Medical Center. Prosecutors and police have said that the accuser was hit, kicked and strangled while she was sexually assaulted anally, vaginally and orally. The accuser told the nurse "that she was not choked; that no condoms, fingers or foreign objects were used during the sexual assault," the lawyers wrote in a sworn statement. The nurse noted that the accuser's arms, legs, head, neck, nose, throat, mouth, chest, breasts and abdomen were all normal, the court filing said. The lawyers filed the accuser's medical records under seal with the court. Two other players have been charged with first degree rape, sexual offense and kidnapping in the case: David Evans, 23, of Bethesda, Md., and Collin Finnerty, 19, of Garden City, N.Y. http://www.newsobserver.com/1185/story/448437.html

A female friend of mine once said...if there is grass on field...play ball!!!

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp.../2032755677.htm

Oh my, who dat? Chris...just did a google search.......wanna guess what year this "woman" was born????? Go ahead, take a guess..... Did ya????? Did ya guess...... 1989????????

Hey, not to worry, in less than 6 years, you to can sign up for the AARP! Hope you had a great one!!!!!

Forgive me if this was mentioned before, but I had no idea the problem was so widespread! I saw a report on ESPN a few nights ago talking about this. How can this go on? Even with the way Barry Bonds is hated by many in the U.S., I can't imagine fans at any baseball game putting up with a bunch of idiots shouting racial epitaphs his way.... Swastikas are seen during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Livorno in Rome. With the World Cup starting this month, an anti-racism group in Germany is so concerned that it has warned non-white visitors to avoid rural areas outside Berlin. By Giuseppe Calzuola, AP Concerns raised over racism during Cup By Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Olympic Stadium in Berlin, where African-American sprinter Jesse Owens famously won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in front of Adolf Hitler, will host six matches of the World Cup soccer finals, including the championship July 9. The stadium has been renovated with a stunning steel-and-glass roof and luxury suites, with one VIP lounge bearing Owens' name. Despite the new look, the stadium might have a hard time escaping its history as a symbol of racial intolerance. Seventy years after what became known as the Nazi Olympics, increasingly menacing racism within Europe is a major story line for this edition of soccer's quadrennial showcase. In Germany and several other European nations, crowds shower minority players with racial insults at times. Several of the U.S. team's African-American players who compete professionally in European leagues say they have been targets of discrimination and verbal and even physical abuse because of their race — on and off the field. There are concerns about how racial incidents might affect the World Cup in Germany, where the 32-team tournament begins June 9 and will be held in 12 cities. An anti-racism group in Germany is so concerned that it has warned non-white World Cup visitors to avoid rural towns and villages outside Berlin, in the formerly communist eastern part of the country. Boorish behavior by hooligans has long been a problem in European soccer, but anti-discrimination advocates say racial slurs and racially charged incidents are on the rise because of a confluence of factors. Among them: the increasing racial diversity of formerly all-white clubs, a growing resistance to immigration from African and Arab nations in several European countries, the tendency of race-related conflicts to grab headlines, and greater scrutiny of such incidents. In some areas, including rural eastern Germany, racial tension also appears to be fueled by a lack of economic opportunities for whites. "It used to be violence, and violence is still a part of the picture at least in parts of Eastern Europe. But it's now about race," says Piara Powar, the director of Kick It Out, a London-based organization dedicated to fighting racism in soccer. Powar says fans realize they can cause a ruckus — and perhaps upset a key opposing player — with racial taunts. Defender Oguchi Onyewu (oh-GOOCH-ee own-YAY-woo), an African-American who plays for the Belgian club Standard Lige, is expected to be one of the USA's breakout stars in this World Cup. At 6-4, 210 pounds, he's also the biggest player on the U.S. team, which begins play June 12 against the Czech Republic. But recently, Onyewu's size hasn't deterred rival club fans from launching racist attacks on him. "I've been harassed while in a car, punched in face, heard monkey chants," Onyewu says matter-of-factly. Onyewu has played in France and Belgium the last four years but says this is the first season he has experienced such overt racism. Onyewu, who is from Olney, Md., says in March he was leaving a rival team's game with a few friends when he was spotted by some fans of Club Brugge, a league opponent. "They were shaking the car, they spit on the car, they were throwing food, kicking the car, punching the car, all that stuff," says Onyewu, who believes the incident was racially motivated. Part of the bumper of his Chrysler 300 was ripped off, he says. "I was too angry to be scared. My friends wouldn't let me get out of the car because they thought the fans would hurt me." Onyewu says when his team played in April at a rival's stadium where fans sit near the field, he was punched in the face — during the game. "I was going to throw the ball in, and some fans started doing monkey chants and I made a gesture like, 'Whatever.' And a guy reached over and punched me in the mouth." Onyewu says the fan was suspended and fined. "You just ignore it, because whenever you react, that provokes them to do it more," says Onyewu, 24. "I know it's not the majority, it's a minority of people. ... I can't tell you why it started or why it still exists. I just know it exists in Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain ... you name it." More players of color in Europe Increasing immigration has incited some of the racial tension across Europe, Powar says, citing the riots in the Paris suburbs last year that put a spotlight on immigrants' frustration at a lack of economic opportunity, especially for young people. "We have a hysteria around immigration, fears that are being stoked up, particularly in southern Europe at the moment," says Powar, whose group is part of a network of organizations from 13 European countries called Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE). Experts on the topic, as well as U.S. players, say racist behavior doesn't seem as taboo in Europe as it is in the USA. "It's crazy to think in this day and age that stuff still exists," says U.S. team captain Claudio Reyna, who has played in Germany, Scotland and England the last 10 seasons. "I've been around it and heard it and seen it. Many countries in Europe are many years behind with their tolerance towards racism. It's disappointing." The globalization of soccer has led to increased diversity on the field, which has led to dissent from some fans in Europe. Many of the world's top pro teams are in Europe and are led by players of color: • Defending World Cup champion Brazil's Ronaldinho, the 2004 and 2005 world player of the year, plays for newly crowned European club champion FC Barcelona in Spain, as does Sweden's Henrik Larsson. • France's Thierry Henry and the Ivory Coast's Kolo Toure led English club Arsenal to the European club final. • Ghana's Michael Essien and the Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba helped Chelsea win the English Premier League title. All will be in the World Cup, as will Germany's Gerald Asamoah and David Odonkor, both black and of Ghanaian descent. In 2001, Asamoah became the German team's first black player; he has been followed by Patrick Owomoyela, an alternate on this World Cup roster. Including Henry, France's 23-player roster has more than a dozen blacks. The U.S. team has five. For the U.S. team's African-American players who grew up in what is largely a white, suburban sport at home, the blatant prejudice overseas has been eye opening. "In America, we don't have that. No one is saying racial things at you," says U.S. midfielder DaMarcus Beasley, who plays in the Dutch League for PSV Eindhoven. "It's pretty bad in Spain, some in Italy. That goes with the territory." In a European Champions League qualifier against Red Star Belgrade in Serbia and Montenegro in 2004, Beasley was welcomed rudely. When he touched the ball, he says, the fans whistled, booed and made monkey noises. At road games in the Netherlands, Beasley says, he faces similar treatment at times, which puzzles him because many of his team's opponents also have players of color. Cory Gibbs, a black defender who had to withdraw from the U.S. team last week because of a knee injury, says he faced discrimination while playing for St. Pauli in Germany in 2003 and 2004. "My experiences were when we played in the east part of Germany," he says. "It's more direct and blunt; it's out there. In the U.S., things aren't as direct." He says when he tried to enter restaurants in eastern Germany, he sometimes was told, "This is a private party. You're not welcomed." Awareness efforts stepped up In recent months, European papers have been filled with reports of soccer racism. "Europe's stain" read a headline of The Sunday Times in London on March 5, a week after one of the world's top players, Samuel Eto'o, who is from Cameroon and plays for FC Barcelona, threatened to walk out of a game after being showered with monkey chants and peanuts from opposing fans. Last November, Marc Zoro, who is from the Ivory Coast and plays for the Italian club Messina, picked up the ball and threatened to walk off the field because of racist chants from Inter Milan fans. Last December, Paulo Di Canio, a striker for the Italian club Lazio, was suspended for giving fans a straight-arm, Nazi-style salute. He said he was supporting fascism, not racism. Concerns over soccer racism have prompted action from political and religious leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI. An anti-racism message from the pope was read to fans before an exhibition game between Italy and Germany in March. Educational programs and activist groups such as FARE are prominent in Europe. There also have been anti-racism advertising efforts such as the Nike-affiliated "Stand up, Speak up" campaign led by France's Henry, who was the target of a racist slur by Spanish coach Luis Aragones. Aragones was fined $87,000 (U.S.) and apologized publicly, not personally. Nike says it has sold 5 million black-and-white interlocking rubber wristbands throughout Europe; the proceeds have gone to an anti-racism group. FIFA, soccer's world governing body, passed anti-racism legislation in March that will be enforced at the World Cup. Players, coaches and team officials at the tournament can be sanctioned for racial incidents. Fans, however, will not. "We need to keep a very close eye on what happens at the World Cup," FIFA President Sepp Blatter said during a recent meeting with reporters. "If something happens on the (field), on the bench or somewhere directly connected to the match, we must and will react. But we can't control what happens in the stands. The fans will be spread out around the stadium ... we haven't set aside specific blocks. So we can't punish teams for incidents where we can't clearly apportion blame." Players lining up before each game will hold banners condemning racism, and, beginning with the quarterfinals, team captains will read anti-racism messages before games. There will also be two anti-discrimination days during the event. The World Cup's slogan: "A Time to Make Friends." German officials are concerned that neo-Nazis and other racist groups could try to disrupt the event, citing what they call a recent increase in violence against dark-skinned people. Two weeks ago, Uwe-Karsten Heye, formerly German chancellor Gerhard Schreder's spokesman and now head of an anti-racism group, warned World Cup visitors "with a different skin color" to avoid towns and villages outside Berlin and other rural parts of the former East Germany. U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who plays for German club Borussia Mnchengladbach, says many taunts are aimed at getting opposing players angry and affecting their play. "You have to accept that it's going to happen," he says. "The truth is, it's going to happen to me." However, he adds, racial taunts are "an issue for (Onyewu) and DaMarcus, who have experienced those situations. It's hard for me to talk to (African-American teammates) about a racist issue, but if somebody has experienced that, I can say to them, 'Hey, don't sweat it, man. You go play your game and use it as a sign of pride. Go score three goals. Go be Jesse Owens. That'll do more than anything else.' " http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/worl...rance-cup_x.htm

Well, Chris asked on an thread back in march about the 73 Mark lV, so better late than never! Got it! For slightly more than a song ($2200)He couldn't give it away in the small Illinois town he lived in! My back calmed down for a few weeks in March, so was able to drive the sucka down. Really was taking a chance, not much I could physically do if the car failed along the way, but I do have AAA. Since the car was built back when America still was able to build a quality piece of machinery, I made it back A-Ok. 82,000 miles. The original owner had many things replaced(like the steering box) so it drives almost like a new car. New for 73 at least. It even has rear anti-lock brakes, which I got to test in Peoria. They work pretty well, kept me from crashing into a dope, and totally wasting th trip. A rim-blow steering wheel.(You squeeze the inside of the wheel, not the whole wheel like I thought) No sunroof, or 8-Track, but most other options. has a 460 V-8, which gets better mileage than the 79 Mark V with the 400 I had(And the 79 is about 800 pounds lighter as well!) It's roofline is deceptively low, and since you have to put the seat up all the way to see over the massive hood, I bump my head a fair bit. But really like it, just need to replace the carb, and the armrests(you can see how someone screwed them in from above!)

Well, nothing really happened after I saw those kids that night. I think they said hi to me a week or so later, and since I never seem to see their Grandmother/Godmother/whatever like I used to(She used to park in the driveway, now pulls her SUV in the Garage all the time)I didn't feel like there was much of a point weeks after the fact that I thought the kids were too friendly with complete strangers. I have to assume if they have an SUV, they are feeding the kids, if I saw evidence to the contrary, then I would try to slip the kids, or the family some food. Anyway, out of site, out of mind, til Monday. Came home around 9 PM, (It was almost dark) and just after getting out of the car, the 2 kids came up saying they were locked out of the house. The little boy was crying. A 3 and a 5 year old should not be outside this late! So, I go over to their house, and ring the bell. No answer. So I start to knock. No answer, so I start to pound the door, and call out the neighbor's name. Nothing. I start thinking, what do I do? Has she had a stroke? Slipped in the shower? So, just as I was about to go home and call 911, she came to the door. Looked like she had been asleep. I told her the kids had been locked out, and she looked at the girl and said, how'd you lock yourself out? So, she says thanks, and they went inside.As I walked away, I didn't hear any yelling or kids being slapped. Obviously, this is not "Classic" child abuse, it seems more like sloppy parenting. The woman(After seeing her upclose today, I'd guess she was 60+) could just be watching the kids(I use that term lightly) while their Mom works a graveyard shift, who knows. I just get a vague bad feeling, but I don't want to complicate a possibly bad situation. This may very well be the best situation for the kids. But damn, I could have hit them as they ran between my cars. I heard about a 2 year old being run over last night in Atlanta....would you let your preschool kids alone in the front yard? Am I just overreacting to a few events over several months????

She doesn't do too much for me. Me either. But then I'm a leg man... Well, she does have a Leg.

And yet you read Daily Kos, Common Dreams, and the NYT!

Brownian Motion! He's gonna boycott baseball because of what one team does.(Don't tell him that Bonds, McGuire, and Sosa are/were chuck full of steroids, it would crush him! ) Of course, to win in that thin air, the Rockies would need Jesus on their side....